Problems with printing large plotter diagrams in Visio

Last Updated: June 1, 2022

ISSUE

You may experience problems with printing large, complex diagrams on a plotter that will cause the printout to show shifting or offset of some columns and bands. This issue might occur if you are using any DesignJet printers with any Windows XPS based v4 or v3 printer driver. It might also occur if you are using Microsoft XPS Document Writer or any other option that doesn't require a device to print. Typically, images of long plot data (greater than 1700 mm) show the shifting of columns, but shorter plots are not affected.

STATUS: WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, print your diagram as a PDF by following the steps below:

1. Open the diagram in Visio.

2. Select the File menu and choose the Print command.

3. From the list of printers, select Microsoft Print to PDF.

4. Provide a filename and select Save.

5. Once the PDF is generated, open it with Word or any other compatible PDF viewing application.

6. Print the PDF from the File menu and select the plotter as the printer.